Combined nail nippers and clasp knife



Nov. 22, 1955 M, BAER 2,724,179

COMBINED NAIL NIPPERS AND CLASP KNIFE Filed Oct. 1, 1954 sill IN V EN TOR. A; 5527' M 5 450 Knife Company, Inc., Providence, R. 1., a corporation ofRhode Island Application October 1, 1954, Serial No. 459,672

r 2 Claims. (Cl. 30-123) This invention relates to a combined nail nippers and clasp knife.

It is an object of the invention to provide a combination tool of the character described having a knife blade handily, compactly and foldably mounted in the handle of a nail. nippers without noticeablyincreasing the size of the nippers so that a clasp blade is conveniently carried in this ubiquitous manicuring implement.

, It is another object of the invention to provide a combination tool of the character described in which the blade is so mounted in the nippers that it will not interfere with the nail trimmingoperation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination tool of the character described in which the blade is protected and itscutting edge, concealed when closed.

Other objects of the invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of United States Patent construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the device hereinafter described and of which thescope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the combination tool with the nippers and knife blade idle, the knife blade being shown extended in dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustratingthe nipper actuating lever in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating the knife blade in extended position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a tool constituting a combined nail nippers and clasp knife. Said tool includes two elongated leaves 12, 14 of metallic spring stock, e. g. steel, which run from the rear 16 to the front 18 of the tool. Conveniently, the leaves have substantially identical configurations and their edges are in registration.

Intermediate the two leaves there is disposed an elongated strip 20 of resilient metal stock hereinafter referred to as the back spacer." The back spacer extends longitudinally from adjacent the rear of the tool to near the front thereof. Means is provided suitable to secure the back spacer to one or the other of the leaves, e. g. the leaf 12, along the forward half only of the spacer. For this purpose, I provide two rivets 22 which extend through pairs of registered openings in the back spacer and leaf 12. One of these rivets is located near the front end of the back spacer and the other near the center. Thus, the

rear half of the back spacer is left free and can be flexed relative to the front half.

For the sake of appearance, one longitudinal edge of the back spacer runs parallel to one set of registered longitudinal. edges of the leaves, this edge of the spacer either being in registry with said, set of edges of the leaves or inset slightly therefrom as shown .in Figs. 3, 4, and 6.

A pivot such as a pin 24 extends through registered openings 26 in the leaves adjacent the rear ends thereof. The central portion 28 of the pin is of cylindrical transverse cross-section and has a diameter in excess of a transverse dimension of the portions of the pins passing through the openings 26 whereby to form shoulders 30 at opposite ends of said central portion against which the leaves bear. i

The lengthv of the central portion from shoulder to shoulder is equal to the thickness of the back spacer 20 so that when the ends of the pin engage the leaves, a compartment 32 is provided between the leaves alongside the back spacer. The compartment opens at the side of the nippers remote from the back spacer.

The ends of the pin are suitably secured to the leaves in such fashion that the leaves cannot experience angular movement with respect to one another about the pin and cannot move relative to the pin adjacent their rear ends. For this purpose, I include counter-sunk indentations 34 in the exposed surfaces of the leaves around the openings 26. The pin is headed at both ends for reception in said counter-sunk indentations. The indentations are of noncircular outline and the headed portions of the pin snugly fit in the indentations whereby the leaves are unable to rotate with respect to the pin.

A conventional knife blade 36 is disposed in the com partment 32. Said blade runs longitudinally of the compartment with its cutting edge 38 alongside the back spacer and slightly spaced therefrom when the blade is in closed position. The blade also includes a conventional tang 40 having flat parallel broad surfaces and a through aperture 42. The central portion of the pin 24 extends through the aperture 42 which thereby acts as a pivot for the knife blade. The blade thickness is almost equal to the length of the central portion of the pin so that the blade is free to rotate about the pin.

The rear end 44 of the tang is straight. The upper an lower edges 46, 48 of the tang likewise are straight, and are approximately perpendicular to the rear edge 44. The distance from the pin to each of said edges 44, 46, 48 is substantially the same and is somewhat greater than the distance from said pin to the nearest portion of the back spacer 20 when the spacer is relaxed.

When the knife is in closed position as shown in Fig. 3, it will be held there by pressure of the back spacer against the flat edge 46. Similar pressure against the edge 44 will maintain the knife in half-open position against accidental displacement; and the same action against the edge 48 will maintain the blade in the fully open position shown in dot-and-dash line in Fig. 1 against the accidental closing movement. The pressure described also will tend to bias the knife blade into any one of the mentioned position as that position is approached.

The corners 50 at the ends of the rear edge 44 are rounded to facilitate opening and closing movement of the blade.

A shoulder 52 between the edge 48 and the blunt back edge 54 of the blade is adapted to abut against the rear edge 56 of the back spacer when the blade is in fully open position (see Fig. 4).

By virtue of the foregoing arrangement. the blade, when in folded, i. e. closed, position, lies substantially flat against the leaf 12 to which the back spacer is permanently secured. As is best seen in Fig. 5, the leaf 12 is 0 substantially straight and is so maintained by the back tion of...the....leaf .12 although, their rear ends, are held against the blade by the pin 24.

A post 58 extends through an opening 60 in the forampbawnasef 'the'leaf12. Said post has anenlar'ged liead '62 whichis adapted to engagethe outer surfaces the 1'eaf12. "Thepost also extends througha'n opening 64 'i'n' thelaf 14, said opening being somewhat larger than the diameter of't he postwhereby to permit flexing fr'iovme'nt of'the'l'eaf'14 about its anchor point on the pin i4. "The'po'stin'cludes a side opening notch '66 having an upwardl-yextehding undercut 68 located below the upper T651514 "when said lBElflS relaxed.

TTheIInippersi's manip'ulateld'by aconventional actuating lever 70 "including a head 72 and ahandle 74' that are atan obtusefa'n'g'le with respect to'oneanother. lac/head is perforated to form an opening 76 defining a bar 78 across one edge "of the head. The opening passes a portionofthe'tip of t'he'p'ost'. "The bar is caught in the ufldercut 68"a'nd thereby maintains the leaf 14 in depfessedcondition.

When't hele'ver is idle as shown'in Fig. 1, the undersurface of the head faces'the leaf14. To render the lever operableit is' turned 180 about the bar 78 and 180 atioutthe o'st 58 to place it in the actuating'position "shown inFig."2. In such position the previously outer surface "of"the head rests against the leaf 14 and the hahdl'ean'gl'es outwardly away from said leaf so that when"depressed it will'fiex the upper leaf toward the lower Tear.

Theforwardp'ortions 18ofthe leaveshave tips 80 which areshaped'toform nipping jaws of a well'known type.

Itiwill be'observed that'the blade is conveniently concealed between the two leaves when in cl'osed'position and thus does not interfere with 'the'flexibility ofthe leaf that isiope'rate'd bythe actuating lever. However, when the lack is'opened, the twole aves form astur dyhandle for mariipulation'of the blade.

' Itthus 'willbe seen that there is provided a device which achieves all the objects of my invention and is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of 'thea'bove invention, and as various changes might be made in" the embodiment above set forth, it'is'to'be understood that all mattcr'herein described, or 'shown'in the accompanying drawings, 'is'to be interpreted as illustrative and'not in a' limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention; there is claimed as new and is .desiredto be secured byLettersPatent:

1. A combined nail nipper and clasp knife tool comprising a first elongated nipper leaf, a second elongated nipper leaf, said nipper leaves having nipper tips at their forward ends, an elongated resilient back spacer between said leaves and running'parallel thereto and with said leaves defining a narrow c'om pa rtment, means securing the frdiit ii'bitioh any of *tiie lia ck space'r io the ea leaf. and leaving the rear end portion of the back spacer free toifiex, a pin'ex tendi'ng throughsaid leaves ad aem the rear ends thereof and sec ur'ing said 'leaves-toqo'ne another, means to restrain the leaves against rotation relative to the 'axis "ofthe pin,- said"lastnamed ifieafis constituting openings in, the leaves receiving the ends of the pin, said openings and ends of the pin being of matching noncircularcross section, at least said second leaf being resilient, manually manipulatable means to flex the second leaf toward the first leaflahda clasp blade-having an apertured tang rotatable on said pin and bearing-against said back jspac'er. I

2. A" combined nail"nipper and cla'sp knife tool'co'tnprising 1a first elongated nipp'erleaffa' second elongated nipper leaf, said nip'per le'ave's having nipper tips at their forward ends, anelong'ated resilient back-spacer between said leaves 'an'dr'imnin'g paraIleI thereto and with said leaves defining a'narrow compartment, meansse'curing the front portionbnly ofthe back spacer to the first leafa'iid leaving the "r'earend 'p'brtio'n'bfthe back spacer tree; "to *fiex, a pin extending through said leaves adjacent the rearends thereof andsecur'ing 'said leaves to one'an'o'tl'ier, said'pin including manna liold'the leaves apart a distance'sub- 'sta ntiallyqua'l to the thickness of the back-spa cer/at least said second leaf being resilient, manually manipulatable'm'eans to flex the second leaf toward the first leaffand a clasp blade having an apertur'ed-tang' rotatable on said pinand'bear'ing against said back spacer.

' R'ferencesCite'd'in the file of this patent "UNITED sTAT'Es PATENT 2,664,624 Bassett ianfs, i954 FOREIGN PATENTS -i9'1gs'63 Great Britain Jan/25,1923 

